


Look Me In the Eye

by PhantomHunter829



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Dragon Hunter AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fighting, Gay Keith (Voltron), It'll make sense eventually, JSUT READ IT, Mercenary! Keith, Multi, Prince! Lance, Violence, an over use of snark, comparing lance's eyes to everything blue, hating on governments, i don't really know what else to tag, idk - Freeform, kissing eventually, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-11 17:05:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15320145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomHunter829/pseuds/PhantomHunter829
Summary: He was looking for them, and they couldn't hide forever. Prince Lance of Arusia wanted them to work for him, to be his personal dragon hunters, but their pasts all prevented them from even considering it:Pidge, an ex spy with a 47 point criminal record, ranging from petty theft to attempted murder.Shiro, a deserter of the military, with 3 different charges of treason.Hunk, a liberated slave, with a hefty bounty on his head.Allura, a witch, charged with blasphemy and treason.Coran, an profesor who withheld vital information from the crown, charged with treason.And of course, Keith, an ex assassin, charged with 67 murders and 92 counts of treason.In short, they were screwed.





	1. In the Beginning...

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY!!  
> So, this is like, the second thing I've ever posted, and was originally intended to be Part II of the To Be Titled Series, but....  
> That's not what happened.  
> Anyway, this fic is like some sort of weird meld of a bunch of different ideas, but I hope you enjoy!  
> (This will turn into a Klance fic eventually, by the way)

There was a tradition. 

Thousands of years in the making, never wavering, always there. 

Never once had it been questioned.

It had evolved, become something more important. As it became more prevalent, it also became more strict.

Now, something that had at first started as necessary was more a show of strength. What had at first started as an important practice was now simply a show of arms. A way to gain wealth.

A way to kill dragons.

 

*** 

 

The people of Arusia were all crowded together in the courtyard, bodies pressing to each other in an attempt to maybe,  _ maybe _ see the prince. Many of them were attempting to catch his attention, waving roses in the air, screaming things like _ I love you  _ and  _ Will you marry me? _

To the young prince that seemed like too much, like everyone was making a big deal out of an old, although quite reliable tradition. 

He was standing inside his dressing room, out of the public eye for just a few more moments. He watched as his butler carefully did up the seams on his jacket. Outside, he could hear screaming, crying and begging, all a distant rumble in his ears. Despite how much he had complained about making this appearance, Lance still found himself smiling. This was  _ his day.  _ The day he and his friends had dreamed of, fantasised about and begged for their entire lives. 

He was twenty.

And today, he would officially be starting his search for dragon hunters.

Striding out of his dressing room, he walked down the hallway. Slowly getting closer to his people. His heart rate picked up. In seconds, his people would see him. In seconds, there would be no going back. 

He turned the corner into a large circular room. It was grand and ornate, but after a time the prince had stopped noticing. This was normal. It always had been. 

He saw his family, already standing on the balcony, sequestered to the sides to allow the crown prince through. He swallowed, and walked towards the glass doors, doing his best to seem purposeful.

The prince marched into the sunlight. Around him, the roars of his people became louder at his appearance. His smile grew. 

“Hello.”

 

***

 

Keith didn’t know why he was here. Something about,  _ make sure he’s not looking for us, and if he is, make sure he stops _ .

Keith had been entirely sure they had meant assassination, but after several clarifying statements and Shiro practically yelling it down his throat, he realised they had meant distraction and dissatisfaction.

He’d done his best to keep all the villages they’d helped quiet, and told all Voltron’s previous bosses that as of the moment, they were crap dragon hunters. It wasn’t true, and it never had been, but it worked to serve their purpose. In truth, they were the best you could get.

They’d started off as friends, then as colleagues in the mercenaries game. After a while, their leader, Allura, had suggested that they become more than that. That they become dragon hunters.

It’d been a hit right off the bat. With Coran’s weirdly extensive knowledge, Hunk’s blacksmithy and cooking, Pidge’s reconnaissance skills, Shiro’s fighting expertise, Allura’s magic, and Keith’s, well,  _ unique  _ skill set, they made the perfect team.

Which most of them were regretting the second the prince turned twenty.

The tradition, as it had been for thousands of years, was that when the next in line for the throne turned twenty, they would choose a group of dragons hunters. It used to be for necessity, but now it was mainly used to build the kingdom’s wealth. Lance Arus was simply another in the long line of a-holes who didn’t know what they were dealing with.

“Hello.”

The prince’s voice jogged Keith out of his daydream. It was silky, but upbeat.

_ Someone’s happy. _

Around him, the crowd went silent.

“My name is Prince Lance of Arusia. I have just recently turned twenty.”

The crowd erupted into cheering. Keith just crossed his arms and prayed to whatever gods were really up there that this would be over soon.

“Yes, I know, big deal. Thank you.”

Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Seriously, who did this guy think he was? 

“As you all may know, there is a tradition. One I plan on continuing.”

The crowd went silent. 

“I will be choosing a group of people; the best in the land.”

You could’ve heard a pin drop. No one breathed.

“They will become my dragon hunters.”

The roars of the crowd almost deafened Keith. He had to stagger farther back in the crowd to not get trampled.

“As of now, I have not chosen any specific group.”

_ Thank the gods. _

“Although I do have a few in mind.”

_ Well, crap. _

“I will be searching the country for them, alongside my men.”

_ This really couldn’t go worse. _

“I hope to see many of you during my travels.”

_ Nevermind. _

“And, of course, a message to all dragon hunters;”

_ Allura’s gonna be pissed. _

“If you think you have what it takes to fight for the crown,” 

_ I’m dead. _

“Meet me on the road.”

 

***

 

“So you’re telling me that he didn’t say who he was looking for.” Shiro repeated for the umpteenth time, “but still managed to pretty well trap us.”

“Clever little bastard.” Pidge mumbled, earning them a sharp ‘ _ language _ ’ from Shiro.

They were sitting at their usual table at The Blade, the inn they pretty much lived at. It was run by Keith’s old colleagues from before he even knew Pidge or Shiro. Regrus, Antok and Kolivan must’ve still held a soft spot for him because they let Voltron live at the inn practically free of charge. They were sitting at their usual corner table to discuss the prince’s appearance. Keith was facing Shiro and Allura, who were sitting a little too close for it to be causal. Pidge sat beside him, their face buried in their crossed arms. Hunk was sitting beside them, gently rubbing their back whilst simultaneously stuffing his face with pastries. Coran was pouring over a textbook, looking to see if there was a way they could turn down the prince’s request should he make it. Despite the fact that there were certainly worse things than being paid a million Servags a day to do nothing, their pasts all prevented them from even considering it.

Pidge, an ex spy with a 47 point criminal record, ranging from petty theft to attempted murder.

Shiro, a deserter of the military, with 3 different charges of treason.

Hunk, a liberated slave, with a hefty bounty on his head.

Allura, a witch, charged with blasphemy and treason.

Coran, an profesor who withheld vital information from the crown, charged with treason.

And Keith, an ex assassin, charged with 67 murders and 92 counts of treason.

In short, they were screwed.

Keith was sure he’d done his job right, that their old employers wouldn’t say anything, and that the villages would keep their mouths shut, but there was only so long that could last.

Someone marched up to their table. He was tall, his face shaded purple by the shades on the windows. The torches cast flickering light across the scar that was carved into his face. When he spoke, it came out deep and clear.

“Place is cleared out.”

“Thanks, Kolivan.” Shiro whispered, reaching up to gently grasp the man’s arm, “any news?”

“No. He still hasn’t released who he’s looking for. He’s apparently been approached by nearly a hundred gangs, and hasn’t accepted any of them. He seems to have his sights very set on those few he mentioned at the appearance.”

Keith sighed. It was expected, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t frustrated by all of this. He needed to move, to do his job, to fight. Yet, the scrawny, cocky, attention hog prince of Arusia took all o that away from him a few days ago.

“Keith, did he say anything that gave you any indication that it was uss he’s looking for?”

Allura’s silky voice cut through the tension in the room. Her beautiful accent lilted her words, and Keith wasn’t lost on the way Shiro’s eyes lit up when she spoke.

“Nothing that I haven’t already told you.  _ Best in the land, a few in mind, searching the country. _ ”

“It seems like he thinks they’ll be hard to find.” Kolivan noted, sitting down next to Allura.

The thought made Keith shiver. He couldn’t think of many hunters who wouldn’t want to work for the government. Voltron was one of the only few viable options, and the others didn’t begin to compare in skill.

“Let’s keep quiet for a while. Lay low, and rest up,” Shiro cut in, always the voice of reason, “we’ll decide more of a plan tomorrow. Sound good?”

A unanimous ‘yes’ came up from around the table, and Keith shufled off to his and Shiro’s regular room. After clambering up the stairs, that were far too steep, and racing Pidge down the hallway to be the first to get to the washing room, Keith finally collapsed onto his bed. Across the hall, he could hear Pidge getting water ready for their bath. Shiro walked up the stairs slower, his laughter echoing as he talked to Allura and Coran. He could hear Hunk cleaning up the kitchen below him. An pretty normal night.

Really, this was okay. This could be alright. They could survive this.

Or at least, that’s what Keith told himself as he let his eyes fall closed.


	2. Not Part of the Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So that was... not soon.  
> I’m so sorry.  
> Vacations stole me away from this for a while. But I’m back, and hopefully the next chapter will be up within... 2 weeks or so?  
> Enjoy!

It was dangerous.

They needed someone to fight for them.

The kingdom was about to die before it ever lived.

The dragons were everywhere. There was no escape.

Every village was burned a day after it was created.

That’s when the tradition began.

 

***

 

**2 Months Later…**

 

Lance was not enjoying this. It had been nearly three months since he’d begun his search, and he had not yet made his choice. This was close to the record longest time it had ever taken a royal to find their hunters. He was embarrassed, honestly. Not that he’d ever let it show.

He should’ve been better than this. He was the crown prince for pete’s sake! He should’ve known better than to expect a gang of outcasts would be easy to find.

Although, to be fair, he had found several of the other gangs he’d had in mind. He’d found The Olkari and The Ark of the Taujeer. And while they’d all seemed fine, they weren’t who he was looking for in the end. They weren’t Voltron.

As of right now, Lance was doing what it felt like he’d been doing for the past 8 week. Sitting on his horse, riding through a dusty village, having flowers thrown at his face and trying not to sneeze. Next to him, his guard, Klizac, was doing everything he could to get the people away from the Prince whilst still being on horseback.

They were in some back water village, the location of which they pretty much blackmailed out of some poor merchant. Apparently one of the members of Voltron, Pidge, had old contacts here. Specifically a brother that owed the throne of Arusia a debt. Hopefully enough of one to get some information out of him.

 

***

 

Matt’s house was located just outside of the city limits. A small ranch sat in the center of a large field, with rabbits and small fluffy creatures of indeterminate origin running (or floating) throughout it. Shattered stones sat around the house, having been scattered to make a perimeter of sorts. A small man sat on the ground, sharpening what appeared to be a sword.

His honey brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and he wore dark grey leather armour. His boots had been discarded several feet to the side. He sat cross legged, with a book open in his lap.

From what any competent human being could determine, that was Matt.

Lance slowed his horse, throwing his leg over the back of his saddle and jumping off his mount. Matt’s eyes flitted up to them, then immediately went back to his book as if the entire royal guard was an everyday occurrence around these parts.

Almost like he was expecting them.

Lance heard Klizac dismount next to him. They marched towards Matt, making their steps deliberate and important. Lance was the future king for pete’s sake. He would not be ignored.

“Hello there!”

Matt glanced up again. He grumbled a little before closing his book and carefully placing it beside him. He sheathed his sword and stood up to walk towards the prince. Lance smiled as sweet as he could and walked forward to shake Matt’s hand.

Matt didn’t take it.

“Listen, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m not helping you.” He said.

“Oh. My apologies, you seem to have misunderstood the point of this visit.”

“I think we both know I didn’t.”

Lance shook his head and laid his hands out in front of him in a pleading motion. This guy clearly wasn’t playing around, so he might as well be honest too.

“Look, I’m looking for your… erm, brother?”

“Sibling.”

“Right. I was wondering if you could give me a location on them and their... colleagues.”

“You’re looking for Voltron.”

“Uh, yes.”

“Uh,” Matt frowned, clearly pissed off, “no.”

“What if I promised to… I don’t know, wipe both your and Pidge’s criminal records?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“You’d do that?”

“Sure.”

“You _can_ do that?”

“Sure.”

“And all you want is Pidge’s location?”

Lance grinned, “And the rest of Voltron.”

“It’s the same thing - they never go anywhere without them.”

“How about this - I take you to Pidge, and you promise no harm will come to any members of Voltron, wipe my and Pidge’s criminal record, and promise not to make any of the non members of Voltron that we meet public.”

Lance tilted his head to the side, considering. He could debate, but that would only take more time and make him seem more incompetent in the eyes of the people.

“Okay.”

“Great.” Matt smiled as he turned back to the house, “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Wait!” Lance cried, “Can’t we leave now?”

Matt smiled at Lance over his shoulder, “No.”

 

***

 

Keith glared at the ceiling.

_This isn’t happening._

Shiro leaned over him, his grey eyes scanning over his brother.

“Keith?”

_There’s no way._

Shiro waved his hands in front of Keith’s eyes. Pidge’s voice echoed in the stone room.

“Is he dead?”

“No, Pidge, he’s not dead.”

“Then tell him to get off his ass! We’re leaving!”

_No._

After a moment, Shiro speaks up again.

“Pidge is right Keith. It’s time to leave.”

“Keith?” Pidge asks, gently placing a hand on his arm. They leaned down to gently whisper in his ear, “get off your lazy ass.”

“Keith.” Shiro says sternly. Keith grumbles and sits up. He turns to look at Pidge and Shiro’s surprised eyes.

“Why are we leaving?”

“Matt sent us word that the prince was coming our way.” Shiro started, “We gotta get out of here.”

“How does Matt know?”

“He’s on his way too.”

“With the prince?”

Pidge grimaced, “Yah.”

“Convenient.”

“Keith, please don’t kill my brother.”

“No promises.”

Keith pulled the sheets off him and set his feet on the cold stone floor. He shoved himself upwards off the bed and shrugged past Shiro to get to his dresser. After searching for a moment he grabbed a black sleeveless shirt and black pants.

He tossed them over his shoulder and marched to the washing room.

He had to admit, Matt wasn’t really to blame in this situation. Everyone knew he owed the crown for not arresting him after his… numerous crimes. And sending word ahead would save them from actually having to deal with the prince. But still, he’d have to deal with the fallout of them running into Kolivan and Regrus.

“Actually…” Allura said when he brought this up at the stables, “Matt told us not to leave in the letter.”

“What?!”

“He knew that we’d run when we saw the prince coming, so he told us to stick around.”

“Why?”

“Claw knows.”

“Okay. Well I say we settle for the plan we’ve been doing so far and don’t listen to Matt, run from the prince, and kill him later.”

“That’s not part of the plan.”

“Sure it’s not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... that’s that.  
> I know this chapter wasn’t great, but I plan on really picking up the plot (and hopefully my writing skills) soon.  
> Season seven had me too shook to write anything good for the past week.  
> So sorry.  
> See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> So, that's chapter one!  
> I hope y'all enjoyed. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know. This story will evolve a lot more in the second chapter, that I'll probably be posting soon (but I'm bad with time, so).  
> If you have any suggestions for fics that I can do, of To Be Titled ideas, let me know!  
> Love you!


End file.
